Coquitlam’s Dream Season Continues at Provincials

The Coquitlam Midget AAA Chiefs captured the Pacific Coast Amateur
Hockey Association Banner and are on their way to Prince George to
compete for their third Provincial Banner. (Rob Merritt/Media Relations)

If the current run the Coquitlam Midget AAA Chiefs are on is a dream,
they’d prefer not to wake up. After going undefeated in the regular
season and only losing once in the final four, the Chiefs find
themselves in Provincial Championships looking to capture their third
Provincial banner and complete an unforgettable season putting the
season accomplishments into elite status.

The Chiefs are ranked 37th overall in Western Canada and 15th in
British Columbia. That ranking equals them with Major Midget teams,
notable hockey academies and Midget Prep clubs.

Head Coach Mischa Polzin attributes his team's success to his players buying into the program.

"This season has been great so far but it really stems from the fact
that the players bought into the program and this group likes one
another and hold each other accountable," Polzin said. "Not one person
is above the other, not one single 'superstar' but rather a collective
group of hard working players that want success and are unified," Polzin
added.

The run to the Provincials began in the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey
Association A1 playoffs, where the Chiefs went 5-1 while not allowing
more than two goals in any of their games. They kicked it off with a 3-0
shutout over Burnaby Winter Club in round one. The shutout was followed
by tight 4-1 and 3-1 wins over Surrey before finishing with a 4-1 win
over Cloverdale. The Chiefs then suffered a rare 2-0 loss to the
Vancouver Thunderbirds before capturing the PCAHA Tier 1 title with a
5-1 win over Chilliwack. Chilliwack is also heading to Prince George as
the second PCAHA representative.

Polzin is in his second season behind the bench and is also Director
of Hockey at Coquitlam Minor Hockey Association. Polzin was the Director
of Hockey Operations and Head Coach of the 2000 age group rep program
for the Vancouver Minor Hockey Association for five years prior to
joining CMHA. He has led the Midget squad to the very first undefeated
season for the Chiefs which is a dramatic turnaround from when Polzin
first took over the club. In his first season, the Chiefs had only three
wins.

"I expect the Provincials to be challenging and one has to have the
mind set to compete without fail. Leave everything on the ice, every
shift, every period, every game," Polzin added, "There will be no next
week, it is about pushing ones body past their comfort levels. Pain,
anxiety is all controlled by the mind. The team with the higher will
power has the best chance of success."

Joining Coquitlam and Chilliwack at the Provincial Tournament are the
North East Trackers, Prince George and Kelowna (Thompson Zone). The
action gets underway at Kin Arena in Prince George March 20th and the
Provincial Champion will be crowned on March 23.

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